Surprise Me
by ThObliviate
Summary: "We've been married for an entire year now. I need to celebrate the best year of my life." Castle takes Beckett out for dinner to celebrate their first anniversary. The best gift competition is on!
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Castle or the other characters mentioned in this story.**

**Thank you, The-KLF, for beta-ing this fic. You helped me a lot.**

* * *

Beckett had taken the day off. So far, it had been a pleasant, lazy morning. They were lying on their bed, just cuddling after making love earlier that day. Kate's head rested on Castle's shoulder and her eyes were closed. She was running one hand through his hair while her other arm was pinned beneath his head. One of his hands was stroking her back; he was running the tip of his fingers up and down her spine while his other hand was caressing her hair. Their legs were intertwined and she was partially lying on his body.

"Hey," Castle broke the silence they were in. "I want to take you out for dinner tonight. It's an important day after all."

"You don't have to, you know," Beckett nudged him to shift his neck so she could remove her arm from under his head and she looked up into his eyes.

"I want to," he tenderly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "We've been married for an entire year now. I need to celebrate the best year of my life."

"It was the best year of my life too," she brushed her lips on his, "And I do want to celebrate. What I mean is that we could just stay home and celebrate in a better way," she added with a smirk.

"Trust me; I want nothing more than that. But let me take you out for a romantic dinner first. It's been a while since we did that."

"It's been a while? Seriously, Rick? We went out for dinner last week!" she raised a brow.

"I love going on dates with you and I wish we could to do it more often. If it were possible we would dine at a beautiful restaurant every single day," he stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I just want to be with you, celebrate our love in a nice place. It's not going to last long, I promise. And, when we get home, we can celebrate a lot more in our favorite way," he said with that lovely smile that always managed to melt her heart.

And then she was his. She would do whatever he wanted her to do after that smile. She couldn't compete with him. She never could. Besides, she always loved to be with him. She didn't care if they were at home, sharing a glass of wine, or at a fancy restaurant eating an amazing dinner. If she was with him, every moment would be perfect. And he was right. It was a special date, indeed. And to celebrate by dining at a restaurant wasn't a bad idea._ He is such a romantic sometimes_, she thought when she was looking into his eyes, pretending to be undecided, _and I can't believe I thought we would become boring._

"Fine! You win," she said smiling. "You know I enjoy going out to dinner with you. And if it's important to you that we do it today," she kissed him again, "I'll go, willingly."

What was a slow and soft kiss suddenly turned into a rushed and passionate one. The need for each other consumed them completely. They needed to show their longing. They needed to show all their love and all the happiness this relationship was bringing to them. Kissing was no longer enough. Their hands began to touch every inch of the other's body they could reach. And they started round two of that morning.

* * *

They spent all day in bed, talking and remembering every single moment of their partnership. Looking back to everything they've been through together, even her being shot and his mysterious disappearance just before their wedding, they knew now that everything happened for a reason.

That silly (yet cute) discussion about who fell in love for the other first came up a lot of times. And it always ended in the same way: with a kiss (when one made the other shut up after a good point). Neither of them gave up though.

Kate and Rick stayed like that until the clock reached 5 p.m. and they needed to get ready for dinner. However, they didn't want to be far away from each other, so they bathed together. Castle washed Beckett's hair and she soaped his back. They took the opportunity to caress each other tenderly. And, when they finished it, they were even happier than before.

They left the bathroom and went to their bedroom. Castle started to dress himself, but Kate sat on their bed covered only by a towel. She was looking at him. He chose to wear a red tie on a black dress shirt and his usual black suit. He stopped in front of the mirror to straighten his hair and found her still looking at him.

"Beckett, you are staring. I know now what you mean. It's really creepy," he joked.

"I love when you wear this tie," she rose from the bed and wrapped her arms around his waist, ignoring completely what he said, "It's so sexy."

"I know you like it. That's why I chose it," he kissed her temple. "But why are you still naked? We're going out for dinner, Beckett. It's not an appropriate outfit," he wiggled his eyebrows with a grin.

"I'm not going out wearing this, Castle," Kate rolled her eyes. "I'm just waiting for you to finish. I don't want you here while I'm dressing myself."

"C'mon, Kate, it's not like I haven't seen it all before," he gestured with his hands, indicating her body.

"It's not that I don't want you to see," she rolled her eyes again. "I knew you'd want to take me out for dinner tonight and…"

"So you wanted to go from the beginning," he said, taking note with an indulgent smile.

"…And I wanted to wear something special," she continued as if he didn't interrupt her. "Something you hadn't seen before. So… get out," she pushed him gently toward the door leading to his office.

Castle didn't complain. He pretended that the push was stronger than it really was, feigning to stumble, and she graced him with a laugh before she closed the door behind him. He went straight to his desk and opened the drawer where he usually kept Alexis' picture. He picked up a rectangular black velvet box and put it on the inside pocket of his suit.

After that, Castle went to the living room and sat on the couch to wait for her, and, as he sat staring at the closed door of the bedroom, his brain conjured up all the times he had seen her wearing a beautiful dress. Every time he saw her like that, he became breathless.

He was so distracted that he didn't see the doorknob turn. But he definitely saw when she came out of their bedroom. His jaw dropped. Kate was wearing a simple, yet stunning, dark purple dress. Its length reached to below her knees and left one of her shoulders exposed. She wore beautiful black stilettos which seemed to make her legs even longer than they already were. Her hair was loose in curls the way he loved.

"You can close your mouth now, Castle," she teased.

He closed his mouth as she had suggested, but, after a second, it opened again; he seemed unable to keep it shut. "Castle, you're drooling," she said as she approached him. "Babe, are you okay?" she asked when he didn't respond.

"Yeah! Yeah," he managed to say. His eyes were still wide open and his mouth didn't stay shut for more than a few seconds.

"Hey, Castle? Are you with me?" she looked a little worried.

"You look amazing," he finally said. He stood and went to kiss her passionately. _Thank God she isn't wearing a red lipstick_, he thought.

The kiss would have lasted forever if it was up to him to decide when they would stop, but she pushed him away just as things started to heat up.

"Castle," her whisper sounded more like a moan. "We have to go to dinner." She bit her lip. He understood. They needed to stop. If they didn't stop at that point, they wouldn't be able to stop at all.

"Right. Dinner. Yes, we should go," he gave her a last quick kiss on the lips, and grabbed the keys to the Ferrari. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll come back. And we'll be able to finish this," he opened the door for her.

"You won't get any sleep tonight, Castle," she whispered when she passed him.

He followed her toward the elevator, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "I have other plans for tonight," he husked, making her shiver when his lips brushed lightly over the sensitive skin of her ear. A smile spread across his face as he felt the effect he had on her.

"Good," she answered with a low voice. "Because," she continued when she composed herself, "My gift to you will be better than any you've ever received."

"Wow, no way! It's not possible. Nothing can beat the fake murder."

"You'll see, Castle," she smiled. "I'll win the best gift competition this year."

"Well, Detective," he pressed the button to call the elevator. "I highly doubt that. As always, my present is perfect."

She didn't answer. Just smiled at him as if she knew something he didn't.

When the elevator arrived, they got into the car and went down to the garage. They stood embracing each other all the time, moving away only when they arrived at his Ferrari. He would drive. He always drove when they weren't at work. It was a silent agreement between them and she was glad for it to be this way. She loved it when he was driving.

"So, where are we going?" she asked when they sat side by side on the car.

"Oh, Kate, you of all people should know I hate to ruin surprises," he smirked. "You'll have to guess."

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**Let me know what you think**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Castle or any other characters mentioned in this story.**

**Thank you again to The-KLF for beta-ing this chapter. **

* * *

Eventually, she figured out where they were going. It had been a long time since they dined there last. If she was right (and she was), the last time they went there was just before their secret relationship ceased to be secret.

On the first night of her suspension, right after they got together, Castle insisted on taking her out on a date. Our first official date, he had said. Her only condition when accepting his invitation was that the restaurant couldn't be in Manhattan. Most of the people they knew lived on the island and, as long as they were hiding their love, she didn't want to run the risk of one of their friends meeting with them while they were having a romantic dinner.

Castle chose a beautiful restaurant he had heard of but hadn't gone to before, located in Brooklyn. They had dined there almost every week until Gates found out they were together. After that, they began to dine in various different places in Manhattan, preferring restaurants that were closer to their homes due to lack of time. Now, they knew a large part of the finest restaurants of the island. This particular restaurant, however, would always have a place on their hearts.

"Oh, Castle, are we going to our restaurant?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Her eyes shone with happiness and a smile spread across her face.

"Yeah, I thought it would be a good idea," he grinned shyly, not taking his eyes of the road. "Three years ago we had our first date there, so I figured we should make it a tradition and celebrate each one of our anniversaries there."

"I love your choice," Kate still had a big smile illuminating her face.

"You sure? I know it's far from home, but," he stopped talking when he finally looked at her and saw how happy she was. His smile mimicked hers. "Yeah, I think you are," he answered his own question and turned his eyes back to the road.

As they arrived at the restaurant, Rick got out of the car and opened Kate's door. He held his hand out to her.

"Shall we, Mrs. Castle?" he asked, pompous.

"Sure, Mr. Beckett," she took his hand and, as she stood up, linked her arm through his.

Together, they entered the restaurant lobby, which had its walls covered with pictures showing New York City through the years and many tall flower vases on the floor, and headed to the wooden balcony. A man wearing a white dress shirt and a bow tie under a black suit greeted them.

"Good evening, how may I help you?"

"Good evening," Rick rested his free arm on the balcony. "We have a reservation under the name Castle."

The man glanced at the book in front of him. "I'll lead you to your table, Mr. and Mrs. Castle," he announced after confirming that the reservation had been made.

They followed him to a table covered with a white, classy, tablecloth next to the large glass windows that had a view of Manhattan. The lights of the city contrasted with the dark blue sky, making the buildings seem to fluctuate above the water of the East River. The notes of a piano filled the room, adding to the romantic atmosphere.

After the couple had sat down facing one another, a waiter asked if they wanted something to drink. Bringing a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice, he served their glasses not long after taking their order.

Castle lifted his glass of champagne. "To us," a lovely smile lighted his face.

"To us," she echoed his words.

* * *

As they waited for the dessert (after two courses of delicious food), Rick reached for Kate's hand and squeezed it lightly to get her attention. She took her eyes off the view through the window, where she'd been looking while lost in her thoughts for the past few minutes, and glanced at him.

"Hey," she grinned, as he picked up her present on the inside pocket of his suit. "So we are going to find out which of us got the best gift now, uh?" she teased when she saw the velvet box.

"Well, Beckett, it depends on what you got me," he smirked, handing her the box.

She gave him her best Beckett glare before taking the box. Castle stared at her with expectation while she opened it. He saw surprise in her eyes before she smiled widely.

"Two plane tickets to New Zealand?" she raised a brow at him, "Point for you, Castle. I wasn't expecting that."

"We didn't have a proper honeymoon, yet," he shrugged.

"What about the island getaway?"

"Well, I thought a New Zealand getaway would be a better idea," he gave her his sweetest smile.

"Why New Zealand, anyway?" she furrowed her brows. "Does it have something to do with a certain Tolkien movie set? Because we've already talked about it, Castle. You're not going…"

"It has nothing to do with Hobbits, I swear," he interrupted her. "We are going to The Lodge, a beautiful resort at Kauri Cliffs. You're going to love it."

"No Hobbits?"

"If you want to visit Hobbiton that much, Beckett, we can change the plans," he teased.

"Please," she rolled her eyes. "When are we going?"

"Uh, well, in two days. But," he continued before she could open her mouth to protest, "You don't need to worry. I already talked to Gates and she said you have enough vacation days to travel for fifteen days," he grabbed her hand again.

"Fine," she bit her lip to stop the smile that threatened to appear on her face. Her eyes gave her up; he knew she was happy to be able to go when he looked at them. "It looks like we're going to New Zealand, then," she leaned over the table to give him a quick peck on the lips.

The waiter arrived with Kate's chocolate soufflé and Rick's petit gateau as soon as she sat back in her chair. They ate in silence, glancing at each other from time to time, and without staying for coffee, Rick paid for the bill before they headed to the car.

The road back to home was mostly quiet. Kate spent the whole journey looking through the window, with a permanent grin on her face, seeing the buildings of the city she loved passing quickly by her field of vision. Her hand rested on Rick's knee, fingers drawing abstract shapes on the covered skin of his leg.

Castle gripped firmly the wheel, trying to concentrate on the road despite of the caresses of his wife on his leg.

"Kate, if you want to get home, you're going to need to stop that," he grumbled.

"Stop what?" she smiled, not taking her eyes of the window neither her hand out of his knee.

Rick managed to drive them home without crashing the car, controlling his desire to stop what he was doing to kiss her right there. They went from the garage to their loft floor holding hands, enjoying the comfortable silence in which they could stay for hours.

"So, Kate," Rick begun as they stepped inside the loft, locking the door, "what did you get me?"

"Wait here," she ran through their bedroom door, letting him laughing at her childish attitude.

She came back to the living room two minutes later, holding her hands behind her, hiding something he couldn't see. Kate approached the couch he was sitting on and bit her lip. He saw uncertainty and, yet, expectation in her gorgeous eyes. She took a deep breath and handed him a white box wrapped with a red bow.

As soon as he unwrapped the present she looked away from him, holding her breath as she saw him open the box by her peripheral vision.

"Uh, Kate, what's this?" he looked, confused, from the box content to her.

"Well," she smiled, "I think you know what that is."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," she whispered.

Castle lifted from the couch, the box with the positive pregnancy test falling to the floor. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Her hands moved automatically to his hair, nails scraping his scalp when his hands went down to her thighs and he raised her legs, holding them at his waist. Rick carried her to their bedroom, laying her on the bed.

"We are going to have a baby," he said, still unable to believe.

"We are," she grinned, eyes filled with happy tears.

He smiled widely at her and she pulled his head down to kiss him again.

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**Let me know what you think. **


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